"With cosmetic surgery, everyone has the same nose."

BarcelonaIf it weren't for a sensual large-format photograph of an underwater bride about to bite a hook, the studio of Philippe Shangti (Toulouse, 1983) would go unnoticed by passersby. It would be just another of the stone and slate buildings that dot Andorra. An event is being held there: the French photographer—a resident in the Principality for a decade—is presenting a new collection. No judgment here, a collection that addresses physical prejudice and follows the provocative aesthetic of her previous works. Shangti has always had a tendency to call things by their name and address controversial topics, such as drugs, sex, and prostitution, through her photography. Before being able to dedicate herself to this artistic discipline, she worked in the high-end hospitality industry in Saint-Tropez and was able to observe the world of jet set behind closed doors.

"I've always liked conveying strong messages, shaking consciences," he admits. A theme like physical prejudice forced him to rethink his usual casting and opt for real people. "In this collection I wanted flesh, I wanted truth, I wanted emotions, I wanted scars. And that put me in a situation that wasn't necessarily comfortable, because I'm used to working with models who have a well-defined stereotype. But doing it any other way would have been out of context," he confesses. With No judgment hereShangti wanted to find that difference that makes us humans beautiful. And that led her to ask herself questions: "What is beauty really? What we've been told is beautiful? Or perhaps today, beauty is what's strange?" Around us, a dozen large-format photographs speak of obesity, trisomy, age, gender, race, ugliness, amputations... forming a micro-world free from judgmental gazes. "In reality, beauty is difference. And the fact that we don't look like each other is the most beautiful thing. Today, with cosmetic surgery, everyone has the same mouth, the same nose... We all face these pressures, and it's a shame. You have to accept yourself and not be afraid of judgment," she says.

The symbolism of the work

Aside from the provocation, Shangti's work is a bomb of color, it is full of details and is conceived in a very scenic way, like the famous series Luxury dinners, inspired by the format of Jesus Christ's Last Supper and which serves as an alibi to put many issues on the table. In the collection No judgment here has been used in the composition. "I was inspired by masterpieces, imagining scenes as if they were films. I wanted to freeze a moment, capture the emotion and intensity of these great scenes," he continues. Shangti cites Botero's curvy women, Van Gogh's peculiar ability to transform ugliness into beauty, and Basquiat's social conscience. But the one he admires most is the photographer James Bidgood, a master of light. "I'm often told I look like David LaChapelle, but my source of inspiration is Bidgood, who in turn inspired LaChapelle, Pierre et Gilles, Guy Bourdin... In fact, in one of the works I included a portrait of Bidgood himself," he says, smiling, pointing at him. A recurring metaphotographic play in a work full of symbolism and hidden meanings.

Shangti – who is self-taught – doesn't mind recalling his beginnings in Saint-Tropez. "When I was 20, I lived in a 20-square-meter studio with 10 euros in my pocket. The first few years were very hard. I didn't know what would happen. But I was the first to believe in my work," he says. What happened was that they let him hang photographs in the establishment where he worked—which had a high-net-worth clientele—and one day, luck smiled on him. Shangti knew how to navigate his career, and currently his clients include private art collectors—including celebrities like David Guetta—as well as international galleries and museums. He has also managed to bolster his prestige: in 2019, he represented Andorra at the Venice Art Biennale, and last year, one of his photographs—a paradox about the beauty of luxury and environmental degradation—fetched 290,000 euros at an auction in Monaco, which made him a household name. "Every artist has their own bubble. I have mine, and at first I entered without being clear about the path. But once I understood that I could throw myself into it, that it was a safe space, I fully invested. I no longer asked myself: "Can I say this?", "Can I do this?" It's very important to understand that today we can get to the bottom of our ideas, delve into the messages we want to convey, and not let them escape.

Shangti's passion for her craft translates into an obsessive meticulousness when creating her scenes. "A series like No judgment here "It can take me a year of work between the preliminary reflection, which is the hardest part, the entire production, and the photo shoot itself. With this last collection, we spent a month shooting," he explains. To all this we must add the post-production of the images. And here begins a big melon. "I've never been afraid of AI. You have to understand that it's not intelligent, it's an accessory, it's a tool like Photoshop or the camera itself. It's the technology of today, and this is a fact that we have to accept; we can't become obsolete for fear of using it. I master it and sometimes I use it if I need to clean something up in the image because it can save me time. Photographers who say they don't use it are liars, because only Photoshop tools already have it integrated. We must use AI as a slave and exploit it. "It has nothing to do with creativity," he says.

In fact, one characteristic that makes Shangti's work very recognizable is his habit of leaving a mark as personal as handwriting. "I've always tattooed my messages directly onto the models' skin, perhaps because of this anguish. It's also my most provocative, most forceful way of being. I do it during the session, when I feel the need to write, to place my message in the work. Therefore, in this gesture there is intuition, there is emotion and a connection with the model. It is from that phrase that the entire composition unfolds and the reading of the work begins," he affirms. No age hereThese three words can be read on the age-worn neckline of a white-haired, bejeweled, and perfectly made-up woman who, with all the indolence in the world, pours a glass of red wine over her white jacket while holding a smoking cigar in her other hand. The same pattern is repeated in all the works on display: No gender here, Noracismhere, No weighthere... "What we need is to learn to look and stop judging," Shangti insists. "I don't care as much about whether the work is beautiful or pleasing as much as whether it resonates deeply, whether it touches the heart. It's not decoration."